`American Idol` cannot afford Mariah Carey: Nick Cannon

Los Angeles: If ‘American Idol’ bosses want Mariah Carey as their next judge, they will have to pay her twice the amount they pay Jennifer Lopez, says the former`s husband Nick Cannon.

The 42-year-old singer is rumoured to be one of the judges in the next season of the reality show, as the prior two judges - Steven Tyler and Lopez have made an exit from the show. "I don`t know if they can afford Mariah Carey. That`s a lot of money. If they gave JLo $20 million, they might have to double that! You never know, it`s one of things, she`s got an album coming out so there`s promotional stuff," tmz.com quoted Cannon as saying. Asked if talks are on to pitch in Carey, the 31-year-old actor answered diplomatically, saying: "Everybody wants to talk to her." IANS